Story of A Girl
by YourGone
Summary: Set ATS 3X05 Fredless. This Is What Should Have Happened Between Buffy/Angel
1. Fredless 1

-Flashback-

Things were very different from how they had ever been for Buffy. Normally she knew exactly what she was doing and even if she didn't, she was really good at pretending she knew. But now, everything had changed. She had been brought back from Heaven by her friends because they had thought she was in hell. Her sister now lived in London with Giles and they had all agreed it was best for Dawn, especially now with Buffy barely being able to take care of herself. Then she had gotten a phone call from him, her Angel. Although he wasn't technically hers anymore she didn't care. He had been hers for longer than they had been apart.

He had called to see how she was. He wanted to see her. She jumped at the chance and while she knew Giles was upset with her, she needed to see him. So she got in her car and met him at a seedy hotel between LA and Sunnydale. It was a gross place that looked like it was going to fall apart but it was good because it was abandoned it seemed. The only people there were the people who owned it. It was really good for Buffy because she didn't want to be around a lot of people. Not right now anyways. When she had pulled up to the hotel, he was already there, leaning against his car. She smirked a little thinking about all the time she say him standing that way. It reminded her of the good old days.

She climbed out of the car and took a minute to really look at him before she took a deep breath and walked closer. She was met half way by Angel who took long strides to reach her. He wrapped his strong arms around her and she leaned into him, enjoying the feeling of her ex lover's arms wrapped around her. She cried softly into his chest. She hadn't meant to, in fact that was the last thing she had meant to do, but it came out. Almost like she wasn't in control of her emotions anymore. She wasn't sure if she liked that but she wasn't given a chance to think about it before he swept her up into his arms and cradled her to his chest. He carried her to a room and used the key he was given by the owner to open the door and he walked into the room, kicking the door closed behind him. He laid her on the bed and pulled his leather duster off before lying next to her and letting her cry on his chest again just holding her.

It wasn't long before she felt something wet on her head. She looked up slowly and saw him, her Angel crying just like her. She pulled back from him and moved her hands to cradle his head. She kissed his forehead softly and used her thumb to wipe his tears as she is pulled closer to him, by Angel, who had wrapped his arms around her waist. They lay like that for a few hours not talking about anything. Everything was too fresh for both of them.

-End Flashback-

She was standing in the basement of the Hyperion. Angel's hotel. She looked over and he was next to her, holding her hand. He rubbed his thumb over her knuckles.

"It's going to be ok Buffy we will get through this." He told her. She nodded mutely. She had been quiet since they passed the sign welcoming them to LA. She was honestly scared.

She knew Angel had his own friends and his own life now and she already felt like she was pushing her way into it. He pulled her upstairs and they heard Cordy and Wes. They seemed to be imitating Buffy and Angel, she knew it was true when Cordelia yelled out "Yes, Angel?" Angel and Buffy watched them. She didn't say anything just watched, Angel waited for her to say something witty and announce their arrival. But after a while when she didn't, he knew she wasn't going to.

"How about you both bite me." He finally stepped in. They were being rude, whether they meant to or not. Buffy really didn't need that right now. He was more then a little annoyed with them.

"How'd it go?" Gunn asked, not realizing Buffy was there, no one had seen her yet because she was practically hiding behind Angel.

"It went." Angel responded, grabbing Buffy's hand again and slowly pulling her more into the lobby. "Buffy this is Gunn" he pointed at Gunn "and Fred." He pointed at the new member to the group.

"Buffy?" Wes asked before anyone else could say anything else. Gunn glanced and Buffy and saw she seemed really scared, and nothing like the girl he had been told about.

"Hey Buffy it's nice to meet you." He said making sure to be more friendly. He saw the looks Fred was giving Buffy and he knew it wasn't helping. He stood up and held his hand out to her. Buffy glanced up at Angel and then took a small step away from him and towards Gunn. She hesitantly moved her hand out and shook his softly. He sent her a smile and she smiled back softly.

Cordelia could tell something was really wrong. She would be the first person to tell you that Buffy and Angel together was bad, but something was really wrong with Buffy. She could easily see it. She waited a minute before she decided what she was going to do. She moved closer to Buffy. She pulled the blonde slayer into a hug. "Hi Buffy." She said in a soft voice and she really meant it. Obviously Buffy wasn't ok or she wouldn't be here. She trusted Angel.

Buffy was really surprised when Cordelia hugged her. The two had never been the best of friends but she really needed friends right now so she was thankful for Cordelia's hug. "Hi" she returned. She knew everyone was watching her. So when she pulled back from the hug, she put a fake smile on her face. She really didn't know what to say to anyone. Angel grabbed Buffy's hand and squeezed it softly. Buffy looked around the room and her eyes landed on Fred, who seemed shy yet she was giving Buffy a weird look she couldn't interpret.

"I'm going to go show Buffy where she will be staying then we are going to get some Ice cream." He looked at Fred. "You wanna get some ice cream?"

Fred's smile got huge and Buffy raised an eyebrow. She wasn't sure how she felt about Fred yet. "I like Ice cream!" she exclaimed.

Angel nodded and grabbed Buffy's bag with his free hand and led her to the stairs. She followed him. Once they were upstairs Wesley could be heard. "What is he thinking?" Wes obviously thought he was being quiet but they had both heard him. Buffy stiffened up and Angel stopped and looked back at her.

"Buffy he's just confused. Come on." He pulled her to his room and opened the door for them. Like the gentleman he was, he let her walk in first and followed her. Buffy looked around the room and smiled a little. "This is your room." She commented quietly. He nodded and set her bag by the closet. "I thought it would be more comfortable. If you'd rather I can have Cordelia make you a room up." He told her.

She quickly shook her head. "No Angel we are two adults, we can both sleep in the same bed and not…" she trailed off. She sat down on the bed and put her head in her hands. She felt the bed move and looked over seeing Angel sitting next to her. He wrapped an arm around her and kissed her head. She smiled softly but pulled back. "Come on. Let's go get that Ice Cream." She put a fake smile back on her face and he sighed. He wished she would open up to him like she did at the hotel.

-Flashback-

Angel was still holding Buffy in his arms an hour or so later. They both stopped crying awhile ago and now were just cuddling on the bed. She had just finished telling him everything that had been going on with her since they last talked and he had already filled her in on his life. She looked up at him hesitantly.

"I don't know what to do." She said quietly. "I can't just go back there and pretend they didn't hurt me. Because they ripped me out…" she looked down. "Out of heaven." She wiped her eye feeling tears building up again. She was tired of crying.

He nodded trying to be understanding. He just didn't know what to say. He had died and come back but he had been happy to be back, he wasn't ripped out of Heaven. "Come stay with me." He blurted out before he could even think about it.

She sat up and looked at him like he was crazy. "Angel… I can't." She said not really knowing why she couldn't.

"Why not? You said you can't go back there. So don't. They handled the Hellmouth while you were.." he stopped from finishing his sentence. He couldn't. "It wouldn't have to be forever..Just for now." He said looking at her. He wanted to take care of her, help her get past this hard time.

She waited until he was done speaking before she looked up. "I guess a small trip couldn't hurt." She saw Angel smile and she couldn't help but smile back. She hadn't seen him smile in forever and she had really missed it.

-End Flashback-

Angel, Buffy and Fred were walking around in the dark sewers. Buffy and Angel were scanning the sewer as they walked along. Fred and Buffy both had Ice Cream Cones in their hands. Buffy couldn't say no to Ice Cream. She had ordered Double Fudge Mint Chip and when she did, Angel froze, she didn't notice it though. Fred had gotten just chocolate.

"This has been the best night ever! First there's you two taking me to ice cream, then there is the ice cream, then that monster jumps out of the freezer and you're all brave and "Fred, watch out!", and then we get to chase it down into the sewers, which are just so bleak and oppressive and - homey. And, and I could build a condo down here." Fed said talking to Angel. Fred had actually talked to Buffy a little and she couldn't help but like the blonde.

"I'm glad you're having fun." Angel answered smiling a little at Fred. He knew it was a little weird between her and Buffy but he wasn't sure why.

"You think maybe the monster just wanted a sugar cone?" Buffy asked sarcastically. She really didn't want to fight any demons right now. She just wanted to finish her cone and then head back to the hotel and rest. Demons didn't seem to want her to do that though.

"I doubt it. Durslar beasts don't usually come above ground like that. They tend to stick to the sewers." Angel responded grabbing Buffy's free hand. He liked knowing she was next to him. It was kind of like all the times they had gone on patrol in Sunnydale.

"Lucky stiffs. They get to lead lives of mysterious sewage while I'm just plain ol' boring ol' Fred." Fred piped in taking a lick from her cone. Buffy looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Boring? That's not a word I'd use for you." She said looking at Fred with a small smile. She meant it in a nice way. She was really trying to be nice and bond with everyone at Angel Investigations. She wanted Angel's people to like her and she knew it was going to be hard enough because they knew about Angel's soul and what happened the last time Buffy and Angel got really close.

"Fine. Nutty-ol'-goonie-bird-up-in her-room-doin'-nothin'-but-moochin'-off-Angel Fred. I swear I don't know how you all put up with me. I practically need flashcards to understand my" she looked a little past Angel "pretty crystals. Oh, look. They're everywhere."

She moved closer to really get a good look at them. They heard a dull roar sound and Fred jumped.

"It wasn't me!" Fred insisted as she moved closer to Angel. Buffy noticed this and her eyes narrowed. She couldn't help but wonder why girls always got so attached to Angel. Then she looked up at her Ex Lover and she knew exactly why.

"We must be near the Durslar's lair. Why don't you head back on to the hotel. I can take it from here." Angel said looking at Fred and Buffy. Buffy raised her eyebrow.

"You don't really think I'm leaving you alone with a possible pack of those demons right?" She asked him crossing her arms which he knew meant she meant business.

Angel sighed. "Durslar beasts are pretty Faulknerian. Lotta sound, no fury. Besides I would feel a lot better if you could take Fred back to the hotel." He looked at Buffy pleading and she glanced over at Fred before sighing and nodding, accepting what her Ex wanted. "Think you can find your way back okay?" he asked more to Buffy.

"I think so. 128 meters back, eastward fork, 207 meters to the southward fork, hang a right, 12 meters in... I'm just being a big nerd again, aren't I?" Angel nodded and Buffy laughed a little. Angel looked at her and smiled happy that she was laughing.

"Come on Fred." She gave Angel a small hug and whispered in his ear, "Be careful." She pulled back and he nodded. She grabbed Fred's arm softly and started to lead her out of the sewer. "Are you sure you can handle this?" she asked turning around suddenly to face Angel. She hated leaving him to fight alone.

"I'm fine!" Angel responded with a laugh and a wink at Buffy. She took a deep breath and nodded. She led Fred out of the sewer. Once they were out, Buffy let Fred lead the way. She didn't exactly remember how to get back to the hotel. Buffy took a minute before she decided to say something.

"So Angel told me he saved you." She said looking at the brunette.

Fred jumped excitedly and smiled starting to divulge into the story of how Angel saved her. She told the short version of it. Once she was done telling the story, Buffy nodded and looked at the ground. Angel really did have a amazing life without her around. She was messing it up.

"Something was always missing though." Fred said. Buffy looked up, confused about what she was talking about, she had tuned her out a while ago.

"With Angel." Fred said looking at Buffy. "I never noticed it til you came into the hotel with him. He looked so…different, much more relaxed, happy." She looked down not liking what she was saying. She wanted Angel to fall for her. "You make him like that Buffy. It's Good." She said. Buffy nodded. She looked up and saw they were at the Hotel.

"Um Fred.. Are you ok to go in by yourself? I think I'm gonna take a quick sweep around the neighborhood, I'm kind of antsy, it's a slayer thing." She said wringing her hands. She really just needed some time to think to herself.

"Sure..of course. Its right there." Fred laughed a little nervously. Buffy made her nervous. She went inside and once she was at the door, she turned and waved at Buffy, Buffy gave her a small smile and waved back before she turned around and started walking around the block.

………………………………………………………………………...

"Five years of not knowing whether your daughter's alive or... Well, how could we just let it go?" Trish said sitting in front of the desk, talking to Cordelia, Wesley and Gunn. Trish and Roger were Fred's parents.

"So we hired the private eye." Roger filled in for his wife. They were talking about the letter Fred had sent them, without a return address.

"And he tracked her down through an un-addressed envelope? We could do that." Gunn was shocked that the PI had been so efficient.

"Wait til you guys hear what happened at Haagen Dazs! Ordinarily these things don't put up much of a fight, but this one? Hoo! I think I'm gonna have it..." Angel yelled excited as he came into the office, alone. He was carrying a demon head. "mounted…. Hello." He slows down and hides the head a little when he sees Fred's parents.

"Angel. you're…alone. And - and you brought ... a prop! From your movie!" Cordelia supplied, turning to Fred's parents. "This is Angel…. **Angel** makes monster movies. Angel, these are Fred's very **normal** parents." She said giving Angel a look to cover the demon head.

"Ah…. Fred has parents." Angel said sounding surprised. He knew she had parents but they had never been mentioned or even hinted to so Angel wasn't sure what their story with Fred was. "Well it sure is - nice to meet you both." He said putting a smile on his face. He had no idea how he was going to get out of this situation.

"Ah. Son, you-your prop is dripping." Roger said pointing at the prop behind Angels back. Angel turns and sees a puddle of green blood that dripped from the demons severed neck. Angel laughed a little nervously.

"Oh, yeah. This" he swings the demons head a little by its hair. Fred's parents ducked and backed away "fake. You know, a little glue, paper machee..." he trailed off throwing the head behind him. They hear a loud crash as it breaks something made of glass in the lobby. "possibly some lead. So, Fred's parents - we've heard so - much... Well, uhm, sure is nice to meet you folks." He said holding his hands in front of him.

"No address anywhere on the envelope?" Gunn asked again, still not sure if he believed that there was no return address. It seemed crazy to him.

"No. None." Roger replied turning his attention back to Gunn long enough to answer the question. He then looked back at Angel. "Do you know when Fred will be back?" Roger and Trish are obviously excited and demanding to see their daughter.

Angel looks at his group and realizes for the first time Buffy isn't there. He looks around and doesn't see her and a part of him gets really worried. "Oh, me. Well, yeah, ah, I sent her right back here..with Buffy, right before I... picked up that….prop." He looked at Cordelia helplessly.

Buffy walked into the office quietly and saw two new people. She was going to grab Angel's hand for comfort but she saw he had demon blood all over his hands. She crossed her arms over her chest. "I…I sent her inside when we got here then went for a patrol……." She trailed off seeing Cordelia shake her head.

"A walk!" Cordelia said. "This is Buffy, she's from southern California. They call walks, patrols there." She supplied lying was always easy for her. "Buffy this is Trish and Roger, Fred's **parents**." She said introducing them.

Buffy nodded shyly. It wasn't like Buffy to be shy but something about these people made her feel…out of place. Not that she didn't feel that way before. She could handle one of them at a time but three of them plus Fred's parents was putting her on the edge.

Angel looked at Buffy relieved. "I'm sure she's - up in her room" He saw Trish and Roger smile at each other "- right now." He said taking over for Buffy. He could see her closing up and it really scared him. He would be sure to talk to her before they went to bed that night, and with any luck she would actually let him in and he wouldn't have to push her. He hated pushing her but sometimes it was the only way he could get info out of her.

………………………………………………………………………...

"Guys - when was the last time Fred ever left the hotel by herself?" Cordy whispered to Gunn, Wesley and Buffy. Sure Buffy wouldn't know but Cordelia was trying really hard to include Buffy. She wasn't sure if she was ok with Buffy being here but she knew that Buffy needed help, she could easily see it.

"A couple of weeks after never." Gunn replied confidently. Fred never left the Hotel unless she was with Angel.

"We want our daughter." They heard Roger saying to Angel. Cordelia sighed and leaned in closer to them.

"So, what is she running from?" Wesley asked. They all look over at Fred's parents and Buffy makes sure to watch them closely. Her senses are more advanced. She saw Roger whisper something to his wife and she wished she could read lips.

………………………………………………………………………...

Fred's parents were out in the lobby talking to themselves while the team all stood in Wesley's office trying to figure out what to do.

"There's just something…off about them. I just can't figure out what it is." Buffy said as she sat on the corner of the desk. She was getting a little more comfortable around these people but she still had a guard up.

"Fred must have returned while we were in here, seen her parents and..."Wesley was cut off by Angel. He moved closer to Buffy and wrapped his arm around her lower back as he talked.

"Took off. That's not a good sign." He looked down at Buffy and she had a look of disagreement on her face. "what do you think Buffy?" he asked looking at her seriously. He wanted her to feel like she was free to give her opinion.

She hesitated before answering. "Well…when I came to Sunnydale and my dad suddenly showed up, you know when I was having those nightmares." She said to Angel and both him and Cordelia nodded. "Well I was running away from my dad because I was scared. Because I was the same girl I was when I left and he didn't seem to love that side of me…" she looked down at her hands. "Maybe…Maybe Fred is feeling the same." She offered looking back up for a minute and saw Gunn smiling at her. She gave him a small smile back and looked back at her hands.

The group was silent for a moment taking in Buffy's idea. Then Gunn thought of another part of their story.

"They said she sent them a letter. Can you picture Fred sneaking off to send a letter?" He asked glancing at Fred's parents for a second but then looking back at everyone in the office.

Cordelia made a snorting sound. "Sneaking off, right. Fred can barely tie her shoes without Mr. 'oh, you're my big, fat hero!' around." She said looking at Angel pointedly.

Angel looked at Cordelia a little offended. "You think I'm fat?" Buffy looked at Cordelia and they laughed a little before Buffy reached for Angel's hand patting it softly. Wesley cut up the joke.

"This could be a ruse, to trick us into letting them get close to her. Making it seem as though she'd initiated contact." He said, obviously worried about Fred. Buffy raised her eyebrow and was silently wondering if maybe Wes liked Fred.

"On the other hand if the letter is real and she told them not to look for her, there's got to be a reason for that." Angel said looking at the Burkles for a minute before he looked away, just as they looked into the room.

"Does Fred ever talk about her family?" Buffy asked sitting up a little more. She was getting tired and it was wearing her down more than she would have liked it to. Everyone in the room stayed silent and Buffy took this as a no. She nodded and tried to think. "Well does Anyone know where she would go?" she asked looking around the group. She was starting to get pretty worried when no one answered right away.

"We could hit all the local taco stands." Everyone looks at him like he's crazy, except Buffy who doesn't get it. "Joke!... Kind of." He shrugged and leaned against the desk next to Buffy.

"Come on, guys, think! What do we know about Fred?" Angel asked, pacing now. Buffy watched him and tried to think about everything she said in the sewer but she was talking a million miles an hour about Ice Cream and Sewers. She heard Gunn mention the Tacos again and almost laughed. She covered her mouth for a minute.

"She seemed comfortable in the sewers." She threw in. Everyone looked at her. She shrugged. "well you guys found her in a cave right? Sewers are dark and…well maybe comforting if you lived in something similar for years." She said. She started to pick at her nails so she missed the look Wesley gave her. He had sent her a proud smile. True she wasn't his slayer anymore but when she had been, she had never thought of things like that. He could tell she had matured a lot and become an amazing slayer.

"I'll head back down there, see if I can find her." Angel said liking Buffy's thought. It made sense to him. He too had thought his Ex lover had matured a lot and had become an amazing woman.

"She worked at the Public Library. There may be colleagues there she trusted." Wesley threw in as another option.

"What about them? We can't just leave them there! What if Fred comes back?" Cordy asked as she looked at the Burkle's through the window. They were sitting on the settee in the lobby. They looked over and Cordy ducked quickly.

"Oh!" she said as she ducked. Wesley waited a minute before walking out of the office, everyone followed him.

"Mr. and Mrs. Burkle, we're gonna try a few places we think Fred may have gone. Would you like to come along?" he asked them, knowing he couldn't make them come with the team but it would be better if they did.

"Ah, all seven of us? Wouldn't it make more sense to split up, cover more territory?" Roger asked looking over everyone in the group.

"Well, I'm gonna check out some of my, ah, industry contacts. So it'll just be the six of you." He said taking Buffy's hand. She squeezed his hand softly to let him know silently that they would find Fred and it would all be ok.

"Industry contacts? Why would... - Fred's not - 'making movies,' is she?" Trish asked worriedly. It was obvious she didn't want her daughter mixed up in the movie world. Even she knew how dangerous that world could be.

"Movies?" Buffy asked looking up at Angel really confused since she had missed the beginning of the conversation between Angel and the Burkle's.

"No! No, no, of course not. It's just some of these contacts they-they know things sometimes. They're, ah, underground." Angel said to the Burkle's and gave Buffy's hand a short squeeze letting her know he would fill her in later.

"Right. Uh…shall we go?" Wesley asked making sure everyone was ready. Everyone nodded and Gunn and Cordelai led the Burkle's out of the lobby. "I'll call you if we find anything." Wesley said to Angel as he walked past him. Buffy went to follow Wesley but Angel held onto her hand.

"Come with me?" he asked her. She glanced back at Wesley's retreating form and nodded. She linked their fingers and followed Angel out to the sewers. She held onto his hand as he led the way to the sewer they had been in earlier. "How are you?" he asked looking at her, his eyes scanning her. He wanted to make sure she had been ok on the patrol she mentioned earlier.

"Yeah I'm worried about Fred though." She said looking around. He smiled at her. He couldn't help it. She was so sweet. She barely knew Fred yet she was ready to jump in and help her.

"I meant with the patrol earlier." He told her stroking her hand softly. "I didn't even think about it. I'm sorry." He looked at her. She shook her head.

"Why would you think about it? We haven't been together in three years. You probably don't even think about the past.. Its all good." She said starting to walk again. He grabbed her hand more firmly.

"How could I not think about the past Buffy?" he asked her really wanting to know why she thought he didn't think of her anymore. "the past is how I met you. That's not something you so easily forget." He told her.

She sighed and nodded. "I know I'm sorry. I just… I don't know I'm probably just snapping because I'm tired." She confessed. He wasn't so sure though.

He used her hand in his, to pull her closer. "Well let's find Fred then we can go back to the Hotel and you can get some sleep." He said kissing her head and handing her a stake he had hidden in his jacket. "never know if you might need it." He said with a shrug and she smiled and made sure to hide it.

………………………………………………………………………...

A/N: Ok well that was the first chapter. I really hope you all enjoyed it cause I worked hard on it. Please let me know what you think. This idea came to me while laying in bed so Im not sure how good it is.


	2. Fredless 2

Buffy and Angel were walking along. They were having no luck so far and Buffy was getting really creeped out. Maybe it was because she wasn't used to the tunnels of La but it could also be because she kept getting the chills. She felt in her pocket to see what time it was, to check how long they had been looking but then remembered it was at the hotel in her bag. She was about to reach back down and grab Angels hand when his cell phone rang and he jumped in surprise. She laughed a little as he answered.

"….No. You?" she heard him ask the person on the line. She thought it was Wesley. "Oh! You mean the place where she would go for help and guidance! He turned around and started walking the way they just came. She shrugged to herself and started to follow him. " And we call ourselves detectives." She heard him say. She could tell he was feeling pretty stupid. He hung up and looked back at her. "Wesley says she probably went to Lorne's and I agree."

Buffy nodded and started to follow him out of the sewer. "Whose Lorne?" she asked looking at him confused. He looked down at her seeming to remember that she wouldn't know who Lorne was.

"Sorry. He's a contact of ours. He was one of the people who helped us in Pylea to Save Fred." He explained. She nodded and let him lead her out of the sewer. She smiled when Angel wrapped his arm around her waist as they walked. She liked being able to be this close to him.

When they got to the club that Angel had told her was Lorne's, She let him walk inside first and she followed him closely. She had heard this was a demon bar and she wasn't comfortable going inside. Not a lot of demons knew she was alive again and she wasn't sure she wanted them to know. Once she walked past the metal detectors she realized she didn't see any demons other then the green one she assumed by what Angel had said, was Lorne. She walked over to Cordelia and Wes while Angel walked over to Lorne.

"Can I talk to you for a second?"Angel asked, walking away before Lorne can answer. He walked out of the hearing range of the Burkle's and stopped.

Trish was leaning against the bar and watching the group. "Some detectives!" she exclaimed. "You have no idea where our daughter is, do you?" she asked. She was obviously looking her patience with the situation. Buffy decided that staying quiet was the best option right now. She looked over at Wesley and Cordelia who obviously agreed with Buffy and didn't say anything.

"Maybe they do. Maybe they just don't want us to find her." Roger said, standing up from the stool he had been sitting on. He was talking to his wife but he was looking at the group. Buffy was loosing her patience with these people. They didn't know any more then them yet they were acting like they were better. She rolled her eyes.

"Look Mr…" she looked over at Cordy who mouthed 'Burkle'. "…Burkle. I understand you want to find your daughter, and so do we so why don't you sit down and close your mouth." She snapped. "You know the same amount of information as we do so chill out and let us think." She said crossing her arms and leaning against one of the tables. She looked over and saw Cordelia cover a smile with her hand and smirked a little. It felt good to take control over something again.

Just then Angel came back over to the group. He told the team what Lorne had told him and then Wesley told the Burkle's. They had all brought one car so they climbed in. Wesley was driving, Cordy next to him, then Gunn. Then in the back was the Burkle's and Angel, with Buffy on his lap. Buffy was really worried with what was about to happen. Something about the Burkle's wasn't right to her and she didn't want Fred to get hurt.

………………………………………………………………………...

Buffy watched the interactions between the Burkle family. She stayed back a ways with Gunn but she could hear them perfectly. She smiled a little when Trish pulled Fred into a hug. It reminded her of the way her mom would hug her when she just needed someone. It made her sad at the same time because watching them made Buffy realize, once again that she would never get that with Joyce again. She took a deep breath and when Gunn looked at her worriedly, she sent him a shake of her head and a smile. Something about this guy was really familiar to her but she couldn't place it.

Buffy was looking at Gunn when she heard a loud screeching and breaking glass. She turned her head and saw a large spider looking demon. She sighed thinking she couldn't get a break. She heard Angel yell for everyone to leave.

"Whoa! - Tell me that's something from the movies!" Roger said as Gunn pulled him out of the building.

"No. That's something that's gonna kill us." Cordelia told him as she pulled Trish and Fred out. Now it was just Buffy, Wes and Angel. She hurried towards Angel.

"Wes, take her out of here." Angel told Wesley not even looking at Buffy knowing she would be pissed. When Wes grabbed her arm, she shook him off. "Get out of here Wes." She told giving him a look that made him know she meant business. She turned back to Angel and stood in her fighting stance. She could tell Angel wasn't happy but she didn't care right now. She couldn't just leave him alone to fight this demon.

As Angel ducked one of the demons legs, she sent a roundhouse kick to one of the others legs. The demon instantly turned to her and she ran towards it. It moved its head towards her and the next thing she knew she was being thrown through the front doors. She heard glass shatter.

"Oh my God! How can she be fighting this thing and you two aren't?" she heard Trish throw at Wesley. She stood up carefully to make sure she didn't cut herself and saw the demon coming out. She didn't see Angel. Once the demon was out of the station, Angel jumped off its back and landed next to Buffy. He was wearing his demon face. Gunn ran off to the car to find some sort of weapon.

"What happened to his face?"Roger asked Wesley terrified. Wesley looked over at Angel and Buffy who were still fighting the spider demon. He saw Angel's vampire face and turned to Roger.

"Angel's a vampire. He has a soul, but it's a long story. I'll tell you about it if we don't end up dying." Wesley hurried out an answer as he found a pile of luggage. "Cordy! Here." He called to the brunette who followed his lead and started looking through the pile trying to find something, anything that could help them.

The bug is still stabbing and slicing at Angel and Buffy with its pincers. Angel manages to duck most of them before getting swiped off his feet. Buffy runs at the demon and tried to kick it but it doesn't do very much damage.

"Hey! Bug boy!" She heard Gunn yell just as she was about to give him another roundhouse kick.

Gunn has found a compound sports bow and loosens an arrow. The bug shrieks and knocks Buffy down and goes for the downed Angel again only to have Cordy and Wes attacking it with golf clubs. Gunn grabs a club of his own and joins the fray. The bug manages to knock a club out of someone's hands and it slides across the ground to come to rest in front of Fred. Buffy tries to get up but she seems to have sprained her ankle and cries out in pain as she tries to get up. She falls to the ground again and crawls out of the path of the spider demon.

Angel is back up and slugging as well. The bug manages to send him flying against the wheel of one of the parked busses. As Angel gets back up, the bug stabs him in each shoulder with its pincers, pinning him up against the bus.

"Angel!" Buffy yells out, trying to stand up again and get to him but she still cant get up. She cries out in pain again. Fred hits on the bug from behind with the golf club and it lets go of Angel to turn on Fred.

"Fred, get out of the..."Angel pushes Fred out of the way, but the bug still scores on Fred's arm, before getting hit over the head hard with a metal cylinder by Roger.

"That's my daughter you damn cockroach!" Roger yells at the demon as he hits it again with the metal cylinder. Angel jumps on the bugs back, pinning its forelegs against its body, immobilizing them.

"Here, baby. Come on, come on." Roger said as he helped Fred up and pulled her closer, hugging her to his chest. He really had missed his daughter. He felt like he hadn't seen her in forever. It really had been about five years but it felt even longer if that was possible.

The bug breaks Angel's grip and shakes him off then turns around and sends him flying through the air to impact with the side of a parked bus.The bug goes after Angel, only to get splatted by a bus barreling by.

The bus stops and Trish gets out. "Did I get it? Did I get it, y'all?" She asked jumping up and down. Angel got up with help from Cordelia and Wesley. Gunn saw Buffy down on the ground clutching her ankle. He hurried over to her and helped her up and let her lean against him. He really liked Buffy and he knew she was Angel's girl and that sparked a protective feeling inside of him. She held onto him tightly.

"Thank you." She said softly to him. He helped her move over to the rest of the group and she smiled watching Trish and Roger hugging their daughter. They seemed like a big happy family and she frowned a little once again, realizing she would never have that feeling again. She sighed and then looked over and saw Angel. She forgot about her ankle and tried to walk over to him but couldn't. He surprisingly could walk though. He saw her Ankle and moved closer to her taking her from Gunn and sending him a thanks nod. He helped her to the car. He had tried to pick her up but she had told him he wasn't going to do that and she meant it and he didn't want to test her, knowing she was exhausted.

………………………………………………………………………...

On the way back to the Hyperion, the whole gang explained to the Burkle's what their lives were really like. They knew Angel was a vampire, Buffy was a Slayer and that the rest of them are just doing the best they can to help along with the battle to fight evil. Now they were all sitting in the lobby/office area of the hotel and Buffy and Cordelia were sitting on the settee trying to mess with the first aid kit. Fred hadn't wanted Buffy to help her, and she wasn't that offended because she wouldn't want Fred working on her either. Buffy's ankle was already healing and she could walk, although slowly. Cordelia made a mental note that if Buffy was staying, they should get double the amount of stuff in the first aid kit so they both could bandage up people.

"I almost hate to ask, but - you do a lot of bandaging in your line of work?" Trish asked as she sat down next to Fred and watched as Cordelia cleaned up Fred's wound. Cordelia made sure she was extra careful with Trish watching. She didn't want the mother of Fred to think she was being careless with her daughter.

Buffy nodded and got a couple bandages ready for Angel's wound. "Occupational hazard. I mean, sure there is the occasional demon who tries to smother us with pillows, but, those cases are few and far between." She joked looking up at Trish and sending her a smile. She felt bad for snapping at Mrs. Burkle earlier.

"How about this guy? Was he a demon?" Roger pushed into the conversation and looked at Durslar head. He cleaned his glasses and looked at it again. He was shocked by all this information but at the same time he wasn't so sure.

"I think Angel called it a Durslar beast." Cordelia answered as she watched Fred play with the crystals on the demon. They grossed her out but Fred seemed to really like them for some reason. They were pretty in a weird way but she figured they came from the demons neck and it grossed her out. "Angel, Buffy and Fred tracked it down after it attacked them when they went out for ice cream." She told them.

"You mean you know how to track these things, Fred?" Roger asked suddenly even more worried for his daughter. It wasn't everyday you found out that your daughter was saved from a hell dimension by a vampire and his group of evil fighters. He was really thankful for that too. He may seem ok with it but inside his body is confused and has about a million questions to ask.

"No. Mostly I was just there for the ice cream." She told her parents, purposely leaving out the fact that she also went to keep an eye on Buffy and Angel. She still didn't know a lot about Buffy but she couldn't help but like the blonde who obviously still had Angel's heart. You could easily see it by watching them together.

"I wish he hadn't brought that thing out again. It gives me the willies." Trish said motioning at the Durslar's head. It did look pretty disgusting after all. Especially if you just found out that demons really do exists outside of horror books.

"Oh, don't be silly Trish. It's just a severed head." Roger said to his wife like it was no big deal. Buffy wanted to laugh at how simple he made it sound. She didn't know why it was so funny though.

Gunn picks up the head to moved it behind the counter so Trish couldn't see it. He didn't understand why she was so grossed out by it. "I got it. The lady makes bug soup with a ten ton bus, but show her a paper-mache head, she gets the willies. Ha. Women." Buffy did laugh this time. Angel smiled at her.

"Uh, Gunn, you **do** know it's not paper-mache?" Angel said after a moment when he looked back at Gunn. He smirked when Gunn tore his hand off the Durslar head.

"We still got that bleach in the bathroom?" Gunn asked as he practically ran into the bathroom. Buffy smiled at this and went back to prepping the bandages she would need for Angel's wound. Cordelia had offered but Buffy had insisted she could do it. She was wearing out fast still though. She was ready to just climb into Angel's bed and fall asleep.

"Voila! That's French for 'I think we stopped the bleeding.'" Cordelia declared while Angel and Wesley talked. Buffy looked up as Fred smiled and thanked Cordelia. She knew Cordelia was still not sure how she felt about her being there but Buffy was thankful Cordy was giving her a chance. The old Cordelia never would have.

"Next up: multiple stab wounds. Angel!" Cordelia exclaimed again, ending the conversation Angel and Wes were having. Angel quickly got up and moved to the settee sitting in between Fred and Buffy.

"Uh, it's my turn. Oh, yay!" he exclaimed as he sat down. Buffy snorted and Cordelia called him a dork. Buffy nodded agreeing with her but liked seeing Angel somewhat happy. He gave Buffy a look and poked her stomach jokingly and she pushed his hand away. He undid his shirt, and Buffy helped him take it off. She took it from him and folded it and laid it next to them. Fred had been watching them and didn't really like to watch them flirt. She turned away from them on the settee.

Buffy was bandaging Angel up. She was barely even listening to the conversation going on between everyone else. That was until she heard talking from Fred that sent a twisting pain to her stomach.

"It's what he does. Angel's the champion, and Wesley's the brains of the operation, Gunn's the muscle and Cordy's the heart, and I'm..." Buffy heard Fred hesitate. It bothered her that Fred hadn't included Buffy. She looked down and pulled away from Angel. She made it seem like she was just getting more tape but it had enough tape she was sure. She moved away from him and started to clean up the first aid kit. She continued to clean as everyone else talked and when Angel and Roger both starting talking about "Bob Hope Dessert Classic." She looked down and smiled despite what she was feeling.

"I wanna go home." Fred blurted out interrupting the Angel and Roger. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at her, even Buffy. "I'm - I'm just not cut out for this. I mean, if Angel hadn't gotten me out of the way, you'd all be laughing in the morgue right now… Okay, maybe not laughing, but - the point is, I think I should go home where it's quiet and safe and monsters don't eat your family…You're not… disappointed in me, are you?" she asked looking down at her hands nervously and playing with her fingers.

Her mom pulled her into a hug and started going on about how happy she was that Fred was going home. Buffy put a small fake smile on her face and grabbed the first aid and walked quietly out of the room. She didn't want to make a scene, but she couldn't watch Fred and her mom right now. It made her want her mom back even more. She knew it was ok to want her mom, but she also knew Joyce wasn't coming back like she had been able to. She ended up in the kitchen. She hadn't meant to go there, but she didn't know where anything was. She set the first aid on the counter and leaned against it, holding onto it tightly, her knuckles were turning white. She leaned her head forward and took a deep breath trying to calm herself down.

………………………………………………………………………...

Cordelia had been watching Buffy as Fred and her mom hugged. She saw the pain that Buffy had tried to hide, but Cordy could easily see through the blonde. She was surprised that Angel didn't notice, but she knew Angel could be thick headed. Sure it was obvious he knew Buffy better than probably anyone, but it was obvious he wasn't as attuned to her as he used to be. She watched Buffy walk out of the room. She knew Buffy was the slayer but she was still amazed at how quietly she had left the room. If Cordy hadn't been watching her she didn't think she would have noticed Buffy leave the room.

She waited until Fred went upstairs and the group split up a little. She saw Angel get up and she stopped thinking he would go after Buffy. But when he went up the stairs to follow Fred she sighed softly and turned around and walked into the hall. She wouldn't have known which way Buffy went except the hall she had taken only lead to one room. She got to the end of the hall and walked into the kitchen as quietly as she could.

………………………………………………………………………...

Buffy heard heels clicking behind her. She closed her eyes tightly and a part of her wished she was imagining it. "I didn't mean to make a scene." She said softly as she heard the footsteps stop. She was sure she had made a scene in front of everyone. She was surprised when she heard Cordelia's voice.

"You didn't. I wouldn't have even known you left if I hadn't watched you do it with my own two eyes." She said softly. She knew she probably wasn't Buffy's first choice to talk to, but she knew the blonde wasn't doing that well. She could also tell Buffy had changed a lot since her last visit.

Buffy nodded thankful that she hadn't caused a scene. She turned around letting go of the counter and her knuckles were sore. She leaned her back against it and looked at Cordelia, trying to figure out how their conversation was about to go down.

"You know, I'm not sure if anyone has told you, but its ok to miss her Buffy." Cordelia said cutting into Buffy's thoughts and just getting to the point. Buffy was shocked by her forwardness but she wasn't sure why. Cordelia had always been a very straight forward person. "I know its not easy. Joyce was an amazing woman." Cordelia said and Buffy could tell she was being honest.

She nodded and looked down feeling tears coming to her eyes. "I know it happened months ago." She said quietly. She wasn't sure Cordelia had even heard what she said. "But when it happened, I was just… in shock I guess." She wasn't sure why she was opening up to Cordelia but she was the first person who had really been trying to listen. Everyone else had been trying to make sure everything was taken care of, everything but Buffy.

"Then Glory came." She looked up for a second and Cordelia nodded and came closer to her. Buffy took that as a sign that Cordelia knew about Glory. "I didn't even have time to think about her then. All I could think about was saving Dawn, saving the world. I didn't even think to call Angel to ask for his help." She said looking down again. She knew Angel was hurt she hadn't asked for help. But truth be told, she hadn't even thought to ask for his help. She felt a tear fall down her face.

"Then I…" she gulped noticeably "I died." She said whispering the last word. "I was with her." She said looking up at Cordelia and seeing the sadness on the brunette's face. "I was with her and I knew everything was going to be ok, my friends and everyone I loved would be ok, eventually." She sighed and wiped at her eyes frustrated. "Then next thing I knew, I was in my" she looked away. "my casket. It was so dark. I couldn't breathe." She closed her eyes, not able to stop the images from reliving themselves in her head. "I clawed my way out of my own grave." She heard a gasp and opened her eyes and turned her face back to Cordy and saw fear, on the brunette's face. She had tears in her eyes and her mouth was open in shock.

She saw Cordy coming closer to her and she felt two arms wrap around her in a tight hug. She was shocked but she quickly hugged her back. She didn't want people to pity her, especially not Angel's crew, but it felt good to be able to hug someone. She knew Angel had hugged her but a part of her couldn't help but think it was because he was scared she was going to disappear again. She felt more warm tears cascade down her cheeks and felt her shoulder get wet. Cordelia was crying too. She hugged Cordy more tightly, she forgot for a minute she was a lot stronger than Cordy until she heard her gasp for breath and Buffy immediately pulled back. "I'm sorry." She said looking down.

"No." Cordy said. "Don't apologize Buffy." She said seriously and Buffy nodded. "Does Angel know?" she asked after a minute. Both Buffy and Cordelia were wiping their eyes. Buffy nodded.

"He doesn't know that I.." she stopped for a second to catch her breath. "Dug my way out. Please Cordy don't tell him" she begged. "He would find a way to convince himself that it was his fault and if he cant then he will go and take it all out on them. I don't want that." She said.

"Buffy they had no right…" Cordelia started but before she could even finish her though Buffy cut her off.

"I'm not asking you to lie. If he asks about it, tell him the truth, but unless he asks, please don't mention it." She looked at Cordelia again. She grabbed the brunette's hand. "Please Cordy. It will just hurt him. I just want to move on from it all and not hurt him anymore then he already is." She said honestly. She didn't want Angel to get anymore hurt. He told her he was ok, but they both knew he wasn't. He was scared at the least.

She saw Cordy was thinking about it before she nodded silently. Buffy nodded back. "Thank you." She said quietly. She didn't know if her and Cordy were exactly friends but she knew they weren't enemies, and Buffy wasn't sure she didn't want to be Cordelia's friend too.

"How is it that we start talking about your mom, to agreeing to protect Angel?" she asked and laughed. Buffy laughed a little. She shrugged.

"I have no idea. But thank you Cordy, for everything. It just..hard to see Fred with her mom. Trish is a lot like my mom." She said looking down and wiping at her eyes. She didn't want to walk out and look like she had been crying.

Cordy nodded. "Don't thank me. Seriously. Us girls around here need to stick together." They both laughed. "She is like your mom Buffy but your mom loved you. You should always remember that above everything else. Joyce loved you so much. She would be so proud of you Buffy." She said and Buffy could tell she meant it. Cordy looped their arms together and wiped her eyes. "Make up?" she asked and Buffy nodded.

"Mine?" she asked. Cordy nodded and Buffy smiled a little as Cordy lead them out of the room. She grabbed the first aid kit on the way and when they got to the main desk, she put it away while Buffy jumped up and sat on the counter. Not even two minutes later, Angel and Fred came down. Buffy raised her eyebrow and looked at Cordy and she shrugged.

………………………………………………………………………...

While Fred talked to her parents, Angel walked over to Buffy and kissed her cheek. She smiled and Cordelia smiled too. She was still very scared about them being together but not even her could resist the smile that came to her face when seeing how sweet they could be to each other. He helped her off the counter as Fred started talking to them.

"You know, in the shower I had all these pretty things I was gonna say and I was gonna be all fancy and... aw, hell." Fred blushed and looked at her parents. "I mean heck."

Everyone seemed to line up and each got a hug. Buffy heard what Cordy whispered to Fred and smiled a little. She hugged Fred awkwardly and nodded. "Me too." She said quietly. Fred relaxed a little into Buffy's hug and when they both pulled back Buffy smiled at her. An almost real, full smile. It was probably the closest she had gotten since coming back. Buffy watched as Angel handed Fred her suitcase. She was slightly relieved that they didn't hug. Buffy couldn't help it. She was really jealous when it came to Angel, she couldn't stop the feeling from rising up in her. She watched silently as Fred walked out of the Hyperion, only stopping to wave one last time. She looked over at Angel and could see he was upset. The feeling rose back into her heart.

………………………………………………………………………...

Gunn, Wesley, Cordelia, Angel and Buffy were all sitting in chairs around Wesley's office. Cordelia and Buffy had their feet up on the desk and the guys were just leaning back in their seats.

"In a really weird way, you know who I miss?" Cordelia asked leaning her head back tiredly. Buffy smiled looking at her before looking down in her lap and playing with her fingers.

"Fred." Wesley answered like it was obvious.

Cordelia shook her head and everyone looked at her except Buffy who leaned back her head and closed her eyes. She wasn't really interested in the conversation. She listened but she didn't want to add anything. She heard Angel start to talk but wasn't really paying attention to what words came out of his mouth. She felt a hand on her leg and opened one eye and looked at Angel. He sent her a concerned look but she shook her head and put her hand over his, bringing it to her lips and kissing it softly. She was just exhausted.

She heard Cordelia's voice get a little excited about Fred coming to visit. Buffy still wasn't sure how she would feel about that. A lot of things about Fred she wasn't sure of. She felt bad because she knew more about the girl then she did Gunn but she liked Gunn better. At least at this point. Cordelia was busy calling everyone big mopers and Buffy rolled her eyes but she had a small smile on. She actually liked Cordelia's idea. Crawling up into bed with comfort food. She heard Cordy's scream and jumped up as a instant reaction. She followed everyone else and jumped out in front of the bug. Angel was instantly at her side and fighting the demon too. She tried to distract it as the rest of the gang ran to get weapons.

Buffy sees Angel thrown to the ground and it pisses her off so she ran after him. She heard Fred yell behind her and turned her head to see Fred and her father setting up the machine she had seen earlier. She had no idea what it was. She looked back at Angel and saw the demon trying to stab him again. She heard him ask who was helping and she was about to reply when Fred shouted that she was. She jerked her head back to give Fred a dirty look but the demon managed to take her off guard and throw her across the lobby and onto the settee which, because of the force, slid across the floor.

As she sat up she saw an axe flying towards the demon and slice its head in half. She didn't know why but now she felt annoyed with Fred. The annoyance grew as Angel got up and went over to Fred hugging her. She rolled her eyes and got off the settee with the help of Cordelia who had run over to Buffy as soon as the demon was in half. Her ankle was killing her again. Cordelia and Buffy walked slowly over to everyone else.

"Nice going, Fred." Angel said as they approached. Buffy looked between Angel and Fred and couldn't help the jealousy that seemed to be pulsing through her veins. Cordelia patted her back softly and when Buffy looked at her, Cordy shook her head and Buffy took it as she shouldn't be jealous but Buffy couldn't help it. It wasn't like she liked feeling this way. It was making her sick. She tuned back into the conversation as Fred's dad said they would stay for a couple days to make sure Fred was positive about her decision. She felt eyes on her and put a fake smile on her face. She looked up to see who was looking at her. It was Fred. The group split up as everyone decided that they should all go home to get some sleep.

"Ok well why don't you get your bags and I'll go set up a room for you Mr and Mrs Burkle." Cordelia said. She walked over to the closet on the other side of the lobby and pulled out a set of sheets and a warmer blanket. She also pulled out pillows and pillow cases. Angel wrapped his arm around Buffy's waist.

"Do you want to go get some sleep?" he asked her pulling her tightly to his chest. She shook her head and pulled back.

"I should help Cordy." She said pulling back farther, completely out of his reach and walked over to Cordelia taking the comforter and pillows from her. They went up the stairs and Buffy followed her to the room Cordy picked. Neither of them missed the completely confused look Angel had sent Buffy.

………………………………………………………………………...

"You know you shouldn't be mad at him." Cordelia said as they walked into the room across the hall from Fred's. Buffy thought it was a good pick so Fred could be near her parents.

"I'm not" she said. She looked over at Cordelia and sighed rubbing her eyes. "I'm not. I just…" she rubbed her eyes again. "I'm jealous." She said sitting on the bed. She then remembered that they were supposed to be making the bed, so she stood up and started putting the pillows in the cases.

"Buffy." Cordelia looked at her seriously. "Angel loves you. He wants you. If he didn't, he wouldn't have begged you to come here." Buffy looked up shocked. "Don't look at me like that." She said. "You never would have asked Angel to come here just like he would never ask you to let him stay in Sunnydale. You two are way to… I don't even have a word for you two."

Buffy laughed a little. "Is that a good thing or a bad one?" she asked as she helped Cordy put on the sheets to the bed.

"You tell me." Cordelia said as she tucked in the top sheet. They both grabbed the comforter and pulled it up and over the bed. Cordy held out her hands and Buffy tossed her a pillow. "Don't shy away from him Buffy. You two need to be a lot more honest with each other if you want it to work out this time." She advised. Buffy knew Cordy wasn't sure about her with Angel again but it made her smile a little to know that Cordy was being there for her.

Buffy nodded. "We haven't even talked about what we are doing in the spot anyways." She said with a shrug.

Cordelia sighed and walked over to Buffy. "You need to. I mean it. You both deserve to be happy. Don't tell anyone I said this or ill deny it, but you and Angel are true love. Anyone who sees you two knows it. I'm not saying its going to be easy because love never is, but don't give up on his Buffy. And if he tries to pull away again, don't let him go this time."

Buffy pulled Cordelia into a hug. She could easily see how Cordelia had changed and she was entirely greatful for the brunette right now. She pulled back and smiled at her. "Thank you." She said sincerely. "Sometimes I just need to be reminded that I have him." She confessed. Cordy smiled.

"Happy to help." She put her hands on Buffy's shoulders and led her out of the room. They walked down the hall and took the stairs down to the lobby.

The only people down there were Fred and her parents. Cordy told the Burkle's their room was done and she would show them where it was. They followed her, and Fred took up the back of the pack. Buffy went behind the counter and glanced in the office but didn't see Angel. She figured he went up to his room and she remembered where it was. She went up the stairs again and found his room. She knocked on the door not sure if she should just walk in. She heard a grunt and Angel's voice telling her to go away. She sighed and opened the door. Angel was standing shirtless looking out the window. He didn't turn around as she entered.

"Gunn I told you its fine. I just want to be alone." He said still not turning. She closed the door behind her and walked into the room farther. She wasn't sure how far she should enter so she stayed closer to the door.

"Am I on the list you want to be away from too?" she asked quietly knowing he would hear her with his vampire senses. He turned quickly and saw her. She sent him a small wave and he moved away from the window and walked over to her.

"Of course not." He said coming to stop right in front of her. She couldn't help but look at his chest. It seemed much more defined then even she could remember. He must have been keeping really good care of himself. "Are you ok?" he asked pulling her out of her thoughts. She looked up at him as she decided how to answer his question.

"I think so." She said moving a little closer to him so she could touch him. She put her palms on his chest and laid her hands flat against his chest. He looked at her trying to see through her she sighed and looked down. "I'm doing a lot better than I would be if I was in Sunnydale alone." She assured him. He nodded and wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her closer to him.

They stood there quietly for a few minutes. "Buffy what's wrong and please don't insult my intelligence and tell me nothing. Or tell me its just because your back now. I may not know everything about you anymore but I still know you well enough." He told her.

She pulled back and looked down at the ground. She didn't want to just blurt it out but she didn't know how else to explain it. "I'm jealous of Fred." She admitted but she soon found out she wasn't done talking. "I mean you saved her life, I get that, but she's always giving you googlie eyes and is constantly like 'oh angel' its very annoying you know?" she asked as she started to pace.

Angel sat down on the bed and let her get everything out of her system knowing if he stopped her now she would never tell him everything.

"Not only that" she continued. "But She left! Then the demons back and all the sudden she's the one saving everyone's ass?" she shook her head. "Then when I got thrown into the couch or whatever the hell that thing is, everyone went running to her and you acted like I wasn't right there trying to stop the demon either." She kept pacing faster and faster. It was making Angel sick to watch her.

He stood up and grabbed her shoulders stopping her. "Buffy you have no reason to be jealous of Fred. I have yet to see her give me 'googlie eyes' as you call it, but even if she has been it doesn't matter to me. There is one girl in the world for me. That girl has always and will always be you." He told her, holding her still and looking into her eyes. "I'm sorry I made you feel like I wasn't appreciative for you helping me with the Durslar." He said pulling her closer to him. He looked down at her. "Buffy I know you are going through a lot right now and I want to help you. But you have to be able to trust me. Can you do that?" he asked looking into her eyes. When she hesitated he panicked a little. "Love?" he asked her leaning down to look her direct in the eyes.

She looked right back into his eyes. "Yes I trust you." She said. She moved her right hand to his face and cradled his cheek in her hand. "I'm sorry I'm being crazy." She shook her head. He put his hand behind her head and pulled her to his chest.

"You still my girl?" he asked her, remembering clearly the first time he had asked her that question.

She nodded and whispered into his chest. "Always." She smiled and he kissed her head.

They pulled apart after a few minutes and she went to her bag to grab some bed clothing. He turned around so she could change and then he pulled off his pants and they crawled into bed. She laid on his chest and he wrapped his arms tightly around her as they both fell asleep. Things between them weren't perfect and they still had a lot to talk about but both of them were more then willing to wait until the morning to have that conversation. They fell asleep quickly that night and neither had a nightmare.

………………………………………………………………………...

Sorry for the long update time guys. Hopefully it was worth it. I just started school so I've been swamped but I just hit a spell of inspiration today so I worked really hard to finish it off. I hope you all love it. Let me know! Thanks


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